Jardin Bleu

Advent Calendar Day Eleven

I feel like DF including this blend in their advent is a lot like DT including Forever Nuts; when I think of the big/popular blends from DF this is one of the ones I automatically think of. I’ve seen it reviewed here on Steepster – though actually this is my first time trying it.

It’s strawberry and rhubarb, so that was really exciting for me! I love rhubarb teas so much, and while I’d prefer it without the strawberry pairing it’ll do so long as the rhubarb is still distinct. Drinking this one on the bus ride before starting work, I was really impressed with how smooth the flavours were and I very strongly enjoyed that it stayed away from the trap that strawberry/rhubarb teas often fall into where they’re quite tart/sour. This with soft and sweet, with sort of a borderline baking/pasty like undertone? It wasn’t buttery enough to make me think of a danish or strudel or anything like that but it did have a powdered sugar/icing sugar sort of vibe? And the black tea itself had bread-y notes, which combined with the powdered sugar I guess enhanced the idea of a strawberry/rhubarb flavoured baking type thing.

And yes, the rhubarb is distinct and separate from the strawberry although the two notes do come together in a wonderful way.

Another one I greatly enjoyed from the calendar.

I smell a bit of sweet strawberry. I could compare it to Four red fruits from Kusmi which is another strawberry black tea with a stronger strawberry scent. Very good but I would rather go with Noël à Prague and Coquelicot gourmand from this house, they have more personality whereas Jardin bleu is more average (but still good!).

We celebrated my birthday Saturday because that was when all the kids could be here. I got lots of tea from my daughter, Superanna, and this one from youngest.

I have loved pretty much every Dammann Freres tea I have tried. This is no exception. I don’t think I have ever had rhubarb so I can’t say if this is accurate. I do know that I taste strawberry and I am delighted because Marco Polo is great but finicky and turns bitter on you if you don’t do everything just right, and my other favorite strawberry tea has been discontinued. (Anna’s Blend)

So hooray for an excellent strawberry tea! I will definitely be serving this tomorrow at tea time. The base was smooth but I always keep French teas at three minutes if the leaf is smallish. The berry scent was great and rhubarb must have been right on because my son’s fiancée said this reminded her of the rhubarb and strawberry pies that a fondly remembered neighbor used to make for her family.

Very tasty, and a re-order unless I find a great strawberry tea easily available in my area.

This tea is really good. I am really getting the strawberry notes, modified by the rhubarb. It is a bit like drinking strawberry ice cream shake to be honest. This is excellent tea and I am glad I ordered it. This is another one I need to try iced. Unfortunately, I try to stick to decaf iced tea but I have to try some of these Damman Freres teas iced. They have all been sweet and tasty. I have tried four of seven and they are four for four so far.

I brewed this in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 min.

a local shop is closing down and how come I never knew before they sell a wide collection of loose leaf Damann Freres teas . Ah, such a shame they will be gone now, they lost the competition with internet buyers….
Teas are now 70% off and I never tried them so picked whatever what was left, which was Oriental (green) and this Jardin Blue.
200 gr. tea for the silly amount of 3 euros… …..

It’s good, very good, sweet, but not overly. What I do notice is that Jardin Blue seems almost a copy of MF Marco Polo. I don’t mind, but I thought it would be different, instead I bought a tea similar to one I have tons off at home…Oh well, will give the oriental a try tomorrow…

Backlog. I went to afternoon tea in San Francisco, and this is the tea that my mom ordered. Our waiter said that this was his personal favorite as well as a popular pick among customers. My mom did seem to enjoy it, but I did not like it so much. First, there were some floral notes that verged on being too perfume-y for me. The main problem, though, was the strawberry flavor. It came across as very artificial and almost medicinal to me. Once that hit my taste buds, I couldn’t really tease apart any other flavors in there because I kept getting distracted by it. I just think that this tea was a little too all over the place for me, personally.

Day 11.

I would not associate the name jardin bleu with rhubarb. But nevertheless…

The dry tea smells like rhubarb and cream.

The brewed tea very eerily makes me think Harney’s Paris. I had no idea why. But I do a double take every time I take a sip.

The tea is thick but the flavours are not bold, this is a light and mild tea. There is definitely rhubarb in this tea. There is a hint of artificial strawberry in the background. Very minimal sweetness to the tea which I actually think makes it taste better. Sometimes too much sweetness can come across as artificial. There is a slight floral flavour. I know this is a black tea but I would not be surprised at all if the base was actually a white tea.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 8

Bit of a late start with advent teas today, too much working going on!

I quite like this one, it has a clear rhubarb flavor which isn’t always the case. It’s not tart per se, but it has that cooked rhubarby goodness. The strawberry compliments it well and adds jammy sweetness.

I had a tin of this at one point, I’m not sure I like it enough to do that again, but it’s a nice one to sip every once in a while. :)

The scent of this tea reminds me of Marco Polo from Mariage Freres… strawberry candies with black tea in the background.

Sipping… I was expecting a stronger strawberry flavor, but this is actually very nice. The strawberry sort of blossoms on your tongue after the sip and leaves you with a bright tartness. The black tea seems more on the earthy side, but that could be because rhubarb is present. Rhubarb always tastes a bit like earth or dirt for me.

I’m really impressed by this cup and would possibly buy more of this in the future. A great first cup of the day!

December 11 – Advent 2014

Thanks Sil for the sample!!

I quite enjoyed this cuppa. At first, hot, I was getting an earthy floral note. Not very sweet compared to what I expected or knew of fruity teas.
Then as I sipped more, a honey/berry note emerged. If I concentrate, it actually does resemble rhubarb though, but vaguely. Definitely some strawberry in there. No sugar or milk, and I gobbled it down. Not very common in a black non-asian tea, for me!!